La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's tennis team is set to open its 2025-26 season on Saturday, August 30 at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.
The Eagles finished 16-4 overall and 5-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) last season, placing second at the league tournament. UWL advanced to the WIAC Automatic Qualifying Tournament Semifinals for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, falling 4-3 to UW-Eau Claire.
Bill Hehli starts his 31st year as UWL's head women's and men's tennis coach this year. Inducted into the UWL Wall of Fame in 2017, Hehli has compiled a career dual record of 830-376 (.688) at UWL, including 456-145 (.759) with the women's team. He is the all-time wins leader in women's WIAC history.
Jarod Camerota and
Shira Busch serve as assistant coaches in 2025-26.
UWL returns 13 letter winners from a season ago, including five All-WIAC honorees. Junior
Hannah Cady of
Delafield (Arrowhead Union) won the No. 6 singles title at the 2024 WIAC Championships while junior
Shelby Roth of
Neenah (H.S.) took the No. 2 singles crown. Both earned All-WIAC First Team accolades. Cady and junior
Maia Samuelson of
New Berlin (Eisenhower) finished second at No. 2 doubles with Roth and graduate student
Tasha Bailey of
Wausau (West) were second at No. 1 doubles.
Samuelson was second at No. 4 singles at the league championships while junior
Lauren Lindow of
East Troy (H.S.) finished second at No. 3 singles. Lindow was also second at No. 3 doubles.
Other returning letter winners include seniors
Laura Burger of
San Diego, Calif. (Patrick Henry) and
Anabela Gainizamanov of
Sussex (Hamilton), juniors
Izabelle Brinkman of
New Richmond (H.S.),
Emma Kappel of
River Hills (Nicolet) and
Zoe Klicker of
Arlington Heights, Ill. (Prospect) and sophomores
Ella Eames of
Lake Oswego, Ore. (H.S.),
Morgan Perkins of
Woodbury, Minn. (Stillwater) and
Katarina Zrnic of
Greendale (H.S.).
UWL welcomes four newcomers to the roster, including sophomores
Lily Jorgenson of
Racine (The Prairie School) and
Caitlyn Stadter of
Mondovi (H.S.) and freshmen Macy Haas of
St. Francis, Minn. (H.S.) and
Emma Herzog of
Owatonna, Minn. (H.S.).
The Eagles open WIAC play on Friday, September 12 hosting UW-Whitewater at 3 p.m. at Green Island Tennis Park.
